France bans the burqa

[Turborama]

Source: AFP

By Dave Clark -

PARIS — France -- home to Europe's biggest Muslim population -- on Monday officially banned women from wearing full-face veils in public places.

=snip=

The law comes into effect at an already fraught moment in relations between the state and France's Muslim minority, with President Nicolas Sarkozy accused of stigmatising Islam to win back votes from a resurgent far right.

French officials estimate that only around 2,000 women, from a total Muslim population estimated at between four and six million, wear the full-face veils that are traditional in parts of Arabia and South Asia.

But many Muslims and rights watchdogs accuse the rightwing president of targeting one of France's most vulnerable groups to signal to anti-immigration voters that he shares their fear that Islam is a threat to French culture.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gqqcoMkCEdXPkLfwwOgQzsA1i3Rg?docId=CNG.490daf03504981722977bcaf5c8cc45c.561

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Islamic headscarf: French curbs come into force

By Hugh Schofield, BBC, Paris | April 11 2011 Last updated at 00:33 GMT

A law has come into force in France which makes it an offence for a Muslim woman to conceal her face behind a veil when in public.

Anyone caught breaking the law will be liable to a fine of 150 euros (£133, $217) and a citizenship course.

People forcing women to wear the veil face a much larger fine and a prison sentence of up to two years.

France is the first country in Europe to publicly ban a form of dress some Muslims regard as a religious duty.

Full article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13031397

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France's ban on burqas, niqabs to take effect Monday
From Niki Cook, CNN
April 11, 2011 -- Updated 05:59 GMT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* French Constitutional Council cites "dignity of the person and equality between sexes"
* A silent protest march is scheduled for Monday
* Forcing a woman to wear a niqab or burqa is punishable by imprisonment and a fine
* French officials cite national identity and security as reasons for the ban

Paris (CNN) -- France's controversial ban on wearing Islamic veils such as burqas and niqabs takes effect Monday.

A silent protest march against the burqa ban is planned for Monday morning in Paris.

The ban pertains to the burqa, a full-body covering that includes a mesh over the face, and the niqab, a full-face veil that leaves an opening only for the eyes.

The hijab, which covers the hair and neck but not the face, and the chador, which covers the body but not the face, apparently are not banned by the law.

Full article: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/04/11/france.burqa.ban/

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France's face-veil ban spurs defiance
As controversial order comes into force, Sarkozy is accused of stigmatising Muslims for political gains.
Last Modified: Apr 11 2011 02:18 GMT

After more than a year of controversy, the ban on full face veil in France has just come into effect.

But some women are already vowing to defy the restriction, as Al Jazeera English's Tim Friend reports from Paris.

Video report: http://english.aljazeera.net/video/europe/2011/04/201141101025438907.html

[hlthe2b]

1. BBC headline is horrid... Head Scarves not the issue...

As the OP has clarified, it is only full face covering burqas and similar that are banned...

Damn, BBC... what gives? :shrug:

[Turborama]

3. Good point, I've moved the BBC article further down the OP

And replaced it with the AFP one I found afterwards.

[joshcryer]

7. Fine for men enforcing it? 30k euro...

...not that these women would ever blame their husbands.

[hlthe2b]

18. I don't even understand your post?

What are you asking/saying?

I merely commented on the absolutely incorrect headline. :shrug: ??????????????????????????

On edit: Are you implying I am supporting men making decisions about what women wear? :wtf:

[pnwmom]

2. Not "head scarves." "Masks" would be more accurate terminology.

Or "full face coverings." And it applies to both men and women.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/religion-and-beliefs/news/article.cfm?c_id=301&objectid=10718487

She will fall foul of a law that kicks in tonight NZT and forbids French citizens from covering their faces in public places; despite the ban's deliberately general wording, there is no doubt its target is very specific: Muslim women.

[Turborama]

4. French woman defies burqa ban as law comes into force

Apr 11, 2011 8:14 AM | By Sapa-AFP

A young woman left the southern French city of Avignon for Paris wearing a niqab to defy a ban on full-face veils in public places on the first day it came into force.

"I had been invited to take part in a television programme which I am going for and I find that today is April 11, the first day of the application of the ban," Kenza Drider, 32, told reporters before boarding a train for Paris on Monday.

"This law infringes my European rights, I cannot but defend them that is to say my freedom to come and go and my religious freedom," the voluntary worker said.

"This law breaches these rights," the mother of four said.

Full article: http://www.timeslive.co.za/world/article1012571.ece/French-woman-defies-burqa-ban-as-law-comes-into-force

[ZombieHorde]

5. Literal fashion police? Atoms are absurd. nt

[Democat]

6. I'm sure other places ban full identity-hiding face masks.

This isn't as sensational as the media wants to make it. Isn't headgear still allowed as long as it doesn't hide your identity?

[Dogtown]

9. Georgia, USA.

A reaction to the Klan.

[Democat]

10. Was that ever upheld by the Supreme Court?

Courts have upheld bans on other activities (polygamy) that are part of some religions.

[Dogtown]

11. I'm not aware of any challenge to the law.

I certainly approve of any attempt to curtail the Klan (I'd support a law banning such "hate groups", but admit it would be difficult to frame such a law).

This law would seem to breach 1st Amendment rights, but has gone unchallenged to to my knowledge.

[pampango]

8. NYT: According to the French authorities, fewer than 2,000 women in France wear the full-face veil,

known as a niqab, but the ban has touched nerves, prompting accusations that it stigmatizes one gender among one religious minority in a land that prides itself on the values enshrined in its national motto of liberty, equality and fraternity.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/world/europe/12france.html?_r=1

The law, approved last year, has been controversial from the start, raising questions about France’s relationship with its Muslim minority of five to six million — Europe’s largest — at a time when right-wing and anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise.

Just days ago France‘s governing party pressed ahead with a contentious public debate on the nature of its secularist philosophy and the challenges of Islam. The discussion drew criticism across a broad front including government officials, religious leaders, the Socialist opposition...

Police officers have been told by their superiors that they may not forcibly remove veils but offenders may be taken to police stations to have their identities confirmed.

In some public debate, the niqab has been conflated with the full-body covering called a burqa, which is very rare in France. As debate flared over the law last year, Jean-François Copé, the parliamentary leader of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s party, defended the bill on the grounds of public security and as an important assertion of French identity and values.

So less than one-tenth of one percent of French Muslims were a niqab (the other 99.9%+ do not), yet the conservative ruling party whips up fear of the "other" (scary, Muslim immigrants) for its electoral advantage. Fear as a campaign strategy - why does that have such a familiar ring to it? :)

[ret5hd]

12. thank god we will never have to see THIS again:

[jberryhill]

13. 19 Women Arrested Thus Far

Round up the usual suspects...

http://m.nzherald.co.nz/religion-and-beliefs/news/article.php?c_id=301&objectid=10718487

Police yesterday arrested 61 people - including 19 women - for attempting to hold an outlawed Paris protest against the ban.

[Phoonzang]

14. Bad news for French ninjas. nt

[ladjf]

15. The French need to ban the nukes. (and so does the U.S.) nt

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

16. Perhaps Japan should do the same

who knows what evil lies behind these masks ...




:hi:

[undeterred]

17. Don't they have anything better to worry about than women wearing too much?

[closeupready]

19. So it's okay to allow for prostitution, even though sex trafficking is a huge scourge?

But not to allow for burkas, because sometimes women are forced to wear them?

[RedCloud]

20. Where is Coco Chanel when you need her?

[sarcasmo]

21. Next on the agenda, French Women forced to shave, if you don't it's jail time or a fine.